Burma Monks March For First Time Since Crackdown

Monks in Burma March For First Time Since Crackdown

More than 100 Buddhist monks are reported to have marched in northern Burma, for the first time since the military government violently crushed pro-democracy protests last month. The march came as a human rights group said Burma continues to recruit children as young as 10 years old for its military.

Witnesses say the monks walked and chanted prayers for several minutes Wednesday in Pakokku, northwest of Rangoon.

Although there was no blatant political content, the march was a test of the military government's tolerance after pro-democracy protests, led largely by Buddhist monks, were brutally put down in Burma last month.

The march came as rights group Human Rights Watch charged that Burma continues to recruit child soldiers. The group's Jo Becker says boys as young as 10 are being forced into the army, and she called for stronger U.N. sanctions.

"Given the horrible track record, that we see with Burma, we believe that sanctions are clearly warranted in this case," she said.

International pressure on Burma to implement broad political reforms has increased since the September crackdown, in which at least 10 and perhaps hundreds of monks and lay people were killed by Burmese troops.

ENDS

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